Significant quantities of energy assets including heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline are stored and transported within the United States and other areas of the developed world which constitute a vital part of the energy infrastructure. Energy asset storage tanks are vulnerable to malicious acts with potentially serious consequences including fire, explosion, environmental damage, potential loss of life, and economic losses due to release of materials and damage to infrastructure. Thus, there is a significant need for protection of critical infrastructure such as energy storage facilities that store gasoline and other hydrocarbons which are spread over a large land expanse. For example, it is important to know if there has been any significant damage to such infrastructure through impacts and verify the presence of absence of leaks of stored chemicals. Such impacts could arise from objects such as hammers or from the impact of projectiles such as bullets.
Not only is there a need to know if such impacts have occurred, but there is also a need to find out the nature, extent and consequences of the impact. It would also be convenient if the information regarding such impacts from a plurality of spaced apart locations could be transmitted to one or more remote monitoring locations.